Refrigerator



1939- A. R. CONSTANTINE EI'AL 9 3 REFRIGERATOR Filed July 31, 1935Patented Dec. 12, 1939 I UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR Arthur R.Constantine and Mahlon W. Kenney,

River Forest, 11]., assignors, by mesne assignments, to William O.Grunow, Chicago, Ill.

. Application July 3i, 1935, Serial No. 34,033

7 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerators and particularly torefrigerators of the household type.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide such a refrigeratorwith a chamber, compartment or receptacle adapted to hold any desiredcommodity, particularly vegetables and fruits, wherein the container,chamber or compartment is constructed and arranged so as to entirely orsubstantially entirely prevent the circulation of air from the coolingchamber of the refrigerator into the compartment, chamber or container.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a compartment, chamberor container for a household refrigerator adapted to hold or containvegetables, fruits or the like, or in fact any desired commodity, andwhertin'the chamber or container is hermetically sealed or practicallyhermetically sealed whereby to maintain the contents of the chamber,compartment or container at maximum freshness for the maximum period oftime.

Yet another object of our invention resides in providing an hermeticallysealed compartment or container or one which is substantially orpractically hermetically sealed and wherein easy and quick access to thecontents is afforded.

Yet another object of our invention resides in.

providing a practically hermetically sealed pan and mounting for aclosed container for a household refrigerator in which container is keptfruits, vegetables and other commodities.

Yet another object of our invention resides in providing a suitable panor receptacle for a household refrigerator in which fruit, vegetablesand other perishable commodities are adapted to be kept and wherein theslidable mounting for the pan with relation to its cover is formed toprovide a substantially hermetic seal between the pan and its cover,thereby to prevent the passage of air from the box in which the pan islocated into and out of the pan.

These and other objects of our invention will be apparent from a perusalof the following specification when taken in connection with thefollowing drawing, wherein Fig. 1 represents the front view of arefrigerator particularly of the household type provided with anhermetically sealed container for the reception of fruits, vegetablesand other perishable commodity, arrangement being shown whereby thecontainer is of the suspended type and is adapted to slide into and outof the refrigerator, and wherein the sliding mounting forms an hermeticseal for the pan.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section of line 3-3 on Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the invention comprises a pan,chamber or compartment provided with an hermetically sealed closure orone that is substantially hermetically sealed. 5 In the constructionillustrated the refrigerator is shown as of the household variety andcomprises a box 2 of any desired character having a lower compartmentclosed by panel 4 and in which compartment is contained the usualrefrigerating apparatus, including the compressor and condenser. Theupper portion of the refrigerator comprises a box or cooling chamber 6in which is located any desirable type of the evaporator or coolingelement 8. It is to be understood that the refrigeration system maycomprise any desired type in order to provide a low temperature orrelatively low temperature in the cooling chamber or box 6.

To illustrate our invention we have shown a box provided with a seriesof horizontal partitions l0, l2 and I4, on which are adapted to beplaced any desired commodity to be kept relatively cool. The lower shelfI4 is provided with a depending leg or support [6 which terminates 25 ina substantially rectangular wire frame I8, one side 20 of which isadapted to rest upon an abutment 22 formed at front and back along theone side of the lining 24. At corresponding places the wire I8 isprovided with an inwardly extending loop or bend as at 26, which loop orbend is adapted to enter a corresponding slot in a stationary cover 28,as shown in Fig. 2. Portions 26 are preferably disposed only at the backwhere they pass through slots or openings in the pan cover 28. This pancover is provided at the back and the two sides with a substantiallyU-shaped flange 30, thereby providing a guideway at back and the twosides for the reception of a U-shaped rubber gasket 32. The spacebetween the two legs of the gasket forms a horizontal slideway at thetwo sides as shown clearly in Fig. 3 and the space between the gasket atthe rear forms a sealing strip which fits hermetically along the top andbottom of an outwardly extending flange 34 on the pan 36. The front edgeof the cover is provided with a substantially semi-circular flange orlip 38 which is adapted to overlie the frame l8. This front edge isprovided with a rubber sleeve surrounding the same, which sleeve on itsinner 50 side is provided with an enlargement 40 which abuts the frontflange or lip of the. pan whereby to provide an hermetic seal entirelyalong the front of the pan but which will yield to permit the pan to bewithdrawn along the slideway. lo

This rubber sleeve and its flange 40 are separate from the two siderubber U-shaped guideways and the rear rubber U-shaped guideway; Ifdesired, suitable rubber cement may be applied between these separaterubber guideways to maintain the same in place and to provide a completehermetic seal around all the portions of the pan when it is closed. Itwill be obvious that by pulling out the pan immediate access is given tothe contents thereof and that when the same is slid back into positionit will be hermetically or substantially hermetically sealed.

We have discovered that by hermetically sealing one of these pans inwhich fruits, vegetables and other perishable commodities are containedthat the same will be preserved with maximum freshness and to a markeddegree as compared with any type of pan now in use on the market, andparticularly with pans wherein a definite amount of air circulation ispermitted between the cooling chamber 6 of the box and the interiorcontents of the pan 36.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantageswill be fully understood from the foregoing description, and it isobvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction, andarrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention, nor sacrificing its attendant advantages, theform herein described being a preferred embodiment merely for thepurpost of illustrating the invention.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a refrigerator comprising means forming a cooling chamber havingcooling means, the combination of a support element comprising a covermounted in said chamber, a container element having an opening andcarried by said support element in such relationship that said cover mayserve to close said opening, when said elements are in closed position,and the container element may move on the support element from closedposition to an open position permitting access into the containerelement through said opening, and gasket means on one of said elementsforming an hermetic seal between the cover and the container element atthe edges of said opening when the elements are in closed-position.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, including means forming aflange on said container element at said opening, wherein said gasketmeans is formed with groove means and is carried by said support elementin position to receive the said flange.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1, including means forming aflange on said container element at said opening, wherein said covercomprises marginal portions forming a seat and wherein the gasket meansis carried in said seat and provides groove means for receiving saidflange.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1. wherein the containerelement comprises a pan having the said opening in its top andoutstanding flanges at the opposite sides of said opening, wherein saidcover comprises marginal portions forming opposed seats and wherein thegasket means comprises portions secured in said seats and formingopposed grooves for slidably receiving the outstanding flanges on thecontainer element.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the containerelement comprises a pan having the said opening in its top, and whereinsaid gasket means comprises portions secured on said support in positionforming said hermetic seal between the cover and the lateral edges ofsaid opening, and transverse portions extending in position to abut thefront and rear edges of said opening when the elements are in closedposition.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support elementcomprises portions forming spaced seats and wherein the gasket means issupported in said seats in position forming said hermetic seal betweenthe cover and the container element at the edges of said opening whenthe elements are in relatively closed posi-' tion.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gasket meanscomprises a strip of relatively resilient rubbery material having aportion of hollow tubular construction and portions comprising spacedflanges for receiving therebetween the edges of the container elementdefining said opening.

ARTHUR R. CONSTAN'I'INE. MAHLON W. KENNEY.

